


Trapped - Inner demons burn more than the summer sunlight (English)

by Aree (Eternal_Yorozuya), Eternal_Yorozuya, The Eternal Diva (Eternal_Yorozuya)



Series: Echoes Of Gintama Series [2]
Category: Gintama
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Eternal Yorozuya Doujin Circle, Eternal Yorozuya translations, F/M, Fear, OkiKagu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:21:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28478337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eternal_Yorozuya/pseuds/Aree, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eternal_Yorozuya/pseuds/Eternal_Yorozuya, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eternal_Yorozuya/pseuds/The%20Eternal%20Diva
Summary: Kagura is being hunted down, and her life hangs by a thread. However, is everything really what it looks like? Or...Can be read alone or before Echoes of Destruction.
Relationships: Kagura & Okita Sougo, Kagura & Sakata Gintoki & Shimura Shinpachi, Kagura/Okita Sougo
Series: Echoes Of Gintama Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2085981
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25
Collections: Eternal Yorozuya Doujin Circle, Gintama Anthology by Eternal Yorozuya Doujin Circle





	1. RUN.

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Trapped - Inner demons burn more than the summer sunlight (Français)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28478202) by [Aree (Eternal_Yorozuya)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eternal_Yorozuya/pseuds/Aree), [Eternal_Yorozuya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eternal_Yorozuya/pseuds/Eternal_Yorozuya), [The Eternal Diva (Eternal_Yorozuya)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eternal_Yorozuya/pseuds/The%20Eternal%20Diva). 



> Données techniques :  
> Histoire originale par : Aree/The Eternal Diva  
> Date originale de publication : 02/03/2015  
> Traduit par : Eternal Yorozuya (traducteurs impliqués : Aree)  
> Date de traduction : 01/01/2021
> 
> Technical Data :  
> Original story by: Aree/The Eternal Diva  
> Original date of publication : 02/03/2015  
> Translation by : Eternal Yorozuya (translators involved : Aree)  
> Date of translation : 01/01/2021.

She was running. And never stopped doing so.

She was running. Without looking back.

She didn’t really know what was chasing her, but she certainly knew that if she ever stopped running, these things would catch up with her. And she would be so done for. She knew that more than anyone else. She had wandered for a long time, and now she was sweating heavily. It wasn’t in her nature to run away, especially if it involved fighting. But Papi once told her that when a fight was clearly going to be your loss, You’d better run away, as fast as possible. It wasn’t so bad if, deep down, you were losing the fight by giving up like this. Papi had told her that, in some rare occurrences, all that mattered was to stay alive.

She then started to run. Not quite knowing where she was running; as long as it was far enough away from that threat. Shadows were closing in. She was running faster and faster. But it looked like it was all in vain.

A hand grabbed her, gripping her shoulder, and tipping her back with force. She screamed, and then suddenly woke up on one of these benches in the park located near Kabuki district, panting, pale as a sheet, and with the hand of the Sadist Okita Sougo on her shoulder. A Sadist who stared at her with a shocked face, not used to seeing the young girl in this panicked state.

“Hey, are you that scared of seeing me, now?” The Captain of the Shinsengumi’s First division wondered.

Kagura stared at him for a moment, unsure of what had just happened. Her glance then shifted to the young man’s hand, which was still resting on her shoulder, and which he still hadn’t withdrawn. Recovering from this event, she pointed out this “oversight” to him.

"Hey Sadist, take back your hand! It’s disgusting! I’m going to be infected by your disease!"

She swept the young man’s hand away from her shoulder, making him step back a bit, and having him regain that usual smug face.

“My disease? What’s that again? Unless you’re speaking about my natural _handsomeness_ and _kindness_ ; stuff a monster like you is in dire need of, on top of manners and a brain!” He taunted.

“Hey?! Aren’t you mistaking something somewhere?! If there’s anyone needing to learn manners here, it’s **_you_** , asshole!” Threatened Kagura as she grabbed her umbrella.

The young man’s eyes began to sparkle with mischief, his palms opening and closing, ready to unsheathe his katana like those cowboys and their guns in some of these Spaghetti Western.

“Oh? Then, you won’t mind elaborating in detail your opinion, Chinese _**sow**_ ” He teased.

Kagura had had enough. This guy was pissing her off. She was going to settle things by wacking him for good, then head home. She also got into a fighting stance, ready to return every of the Unanimously Elected Sadist’s blows. He was taking the piss out of her so hard it triggered her a massive headache. No, wait, there was more to it. She had a really bad headache, and in the end, even kicking that asshole’s butt wouldn’t relieve her of the pain. But it was already too late, the two facing each other, ready to kick each other’s asses. She winced. Better be over with settling this as soon as possible, so as to not waste any time going to bed.

They suddenly both rushed at each other, and in about ten minutes or so, the surroundings were blown to pieces, and the two of them were now even more tired and sweaty in this hot day than before. Kagura felt a shiver, and her gaze fell upon her arm. There was a small gash at her elbow crease, where the Sadist must have hit her while as she tried to smash his head to the ground. Another shiver. Someone was right behind her, watching them; she could feel it. She sharply turned her head around, looking away from the Sadist, who was also visibly intrigued by something. Someone was observing them from a distance, without revealing themselves. A thrilling sensation, wandered on her back, accompanied by cold sweat. It was very unpleasant. And the worst part of it all was that the headache just didn’t want to stop. Bloody hell of a day. She looked away from the supposed spot the observer she couldn’t see was hiding in, and after staring at the Sadist, simply left him stranded in the middle of the park.

She walked all the way to the Yorozuya Agency; and after emptying several boxes of sukonbu while waiting for a meal yet to be prepared by a late Shinpachi, went to sleep in the closet serving as her bedroom; under the astonished faces of Gintoki and a young man with glasses. They’d never seen the young girl go to bed without having emptied in the evening at least two pressure cookers of rice beforehand.

And bad news for Kagura, her nightmare didn’t want to let go. She was running again as if her life depended on it.

“Kagura!” Called a voice from afar.

She was a bit taken aback hearing someone calling her, but it was only for a fleeting moment since her stopping meant that her enemies would catch up with her. She had to run for her life, in this dream that felt as real as the reality in which she was awake.

“Kagura!” Called another voice.

If she wasn’t mistaken, it had to be Shinpachi’s voice. And in this case, the one she had heard just before had to be Gintoki’s. She was praying she had misheard. She really prayed, even though she believed in nothing but her own strength and that of those close to her. They couldn’t be there, near her. She didn’t want to be alone, but she was running for her life. Which implied she might be dying very soon. She didn’t want that to happen to the two people dear to her heart. For that matter, she didn’t want that to happen, to anyone she knew. Finding oneself like this, running until the lungs start to burn, the skin slippery, and the eyesight blurred.

“Kagura!”

This time, she had heard right; it was Gin-chan who had called her. She gritted her teeth. She shouldn’t drag them into this. Whatever it takes. The Shadows surrounded her. She didn’t know what to do anymore. She was trapped. And when all seemed lost… She awoke.

It was fairly early enough, and she was amazed that she had been able to wake up at such an early hour, a time she would have usually never experienced, to begin with. Six in the morning. That was damn early. She rubbed her eyes and let out a small yawn. Her hair, dishevelled by her more than real night fright, was going all over the place. That good-for-nothing Gin-san was still asleep, that was obvious. Still, she sensed someone was watching her, and she felt again a shiver run through her body. Someone, in the dark, was touching her hand. She raised her hand quickly, ready to retaliate, but there was no one there. Although the room itself had no lights on, the window to the outside provided some light; yet she couldn’t see anyone. Sadaharu was snoring peacefully, as was the perm-head. Yet she still felt observed. Maybe her dream made her believe so. It was quite possible.

She couldn’t know, however. She absolutely couldn’t have known.

* * *

_**To be continued.** _

* * *

** Author's note :  **

**_Hello everybody!_ **

**_I finally got some more time to start translating my stories in English, to make then available to the greater number of people._ **

**_I’m sorry for the time it took, but having a consistent update schedule AND translating at the same time is not really viable. Hence, updates on translations might not be as regular as I’d like, but it’s a start!_ **

**_I choose to start with this story because it’s finished and quite polished._ **

**_Translation will be cross-posted between my fanfiction.net account and our main account on AO3 (Eternal Yorozuya)._ **

**_Don’t forget to subscribe/follow to keep up with future updates, and thank you again for your patience and support._** **m(-_-)m**


	2. Lost Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are with the second translated chapter of this story! Just in time for GINTAMA DAY! Today (08/01/2021), the last movie closing Gintama’s story got released in Japan!   
> But even though Gintama ended, it will always be with us. It bought so many feelings, including joy, sadness, and amazement), but also brought together a lot of people, be it on fansites like this one, or message boards; Twitter, Tumblr, etc.   
> And this is truly a wonderful community. There’s no other fanbase like this one, where you can almost instantly feel like being with family while speaking with people you didn’t even know before.   
> I am so glad that back in 2009/2010 I discovered this wonderful manga and anime; and that I got to meet wonderful people because of that. And have fun. Lots of fun.   
> But the adventure won’t stop with the end of the series. We, as fans, can create so much content for it to keep on living, be it by writing, drawing, composing, cosplaying, and more.   
> A HUGE shout-out to everyone; and don’t forget, Gintama will always be dirty.

A new day began for Kagura. Admittedly, quite a long day, in view of her sudden awakening at six in the morning; but a day still as boring as the previous ones. And again, that damn headache. She thought she must have stayed way too long outside, under the harsh sun; so she decided to find a shady spot and remain there, while Gintoki and Shinpachi were taking care of a job that had been entrusted to them.

It seemed like the sun had developed a mind of its own, being more aggressive than ever; as if it absolutely wanted the girl to stay at home. And that annoyed her. She then heard a huge noise.

Gin-chan had just fallen from the tree he had climbed in, a tomcat in his hands growling and clawing furiously at him. She laughed a bit, then stopped abruptly. Something, or rather, a hand, was touching her neck.

Ok, that wasn’t funny anymore. It had already happened yesterday, and now it was happening again. Except… It was impossible. She was leaning with her back against a tree. Yet, something, or rather someone, had caught her neck from behind. Not that Kagura was afraid of ghosts or anything related to the supernatural, eh. But that didn’t mean she didn’t have her own fears.

She did not dare to move. She could hear breathing behind her. Oh, she was so going to smash the asshole who was having fun by scaring her; there wasn’t a doubt about that. She suddenly turned around while she stood up, so as to face the trunk of the tree.

Nothing out of the ordinary. Not even a noise. Whereas the moment before then, she would have sworn that someone was standing right behind her. Maybe she was too tired and had dreamed awake. In the distance, Gintoki and Shinpachi faced an even more pissed cat, who for the latter, was now trying to scratch them both. She laughed a little more.

Today was a good day; after all.

* * *

That day, Gintoki was still reading his Jump, lying on one of the office’s blue couches. While Shinpachi was still out to do some shopping; the fridge being currently desperately empty. Everyone was acting as usual, regardless of the fact that Kagura had taken Sadaharu out for a walk several hours ago, and still had not returned.

Oddly enough, a certain Shinsengumi officer had not seen her today either. He wandered with hope near the park, without seeing the young girl show up. He had been taking his « break » while patrolling for a few hours now; and with such a delay, no doubt that Hijikata was going to nag at him even more than usual. But this bastard could as well (accidentally) go die so that Sougo could take his place within the Shinsengumi; for all he cared. He was about to finally give up all hope of exchanging blows with the young Yato; when he heard barking. No doubt it was the Yorozuya’s giant dog; barking that loud. A smile spread across his face. Oh, well. He was going to be able to let off some steam. He waited patiently for the China girl and her big mutt to show up, hiding behind one of the big trees in the green spaces of the park. He heard the barking getting closer. The dog seemed to be coming straight towards him. Perfect.

“IIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! Someone call the police!” Yelled a woman.

**Shit.** Immediately, the policeman blood in Sougo’s veins boiled. That was a shame, but that _**pig**_ would have to wait. He had to sort out this mess first. He came out of his hiding place and saw people rushing towards the East side of the park. Side from which cam a huge white dog. Tch! The Yorozuya girl was again wreaking some havoc. She definitely couldn’t stay put.

Sadaharu stopped in front of Sougo and began to bark louder, destroying the young man’s hearing in the process.

“Would you shut up, mutt?! What the hell has your asshole of a master done to make people so worried, eh?”

The dog intensified his barking. He showed no sign of wanting to be silent, and the current situation was becoming stranger, as more people were heading west, lured in by the commotion. And now, he could hear sirens in the distance, which were getting closer by each minute as they went. And the dog tugged at the sleeve of his uniform with his teeth, almost ripping it off.

“Hey!” Protested Sougo.

He didn’t have time to express his displeasure for more than a mere seconds, that the dog was now dragging him eastward. And as the unlikely duo made its way to the scene of the disturbance, a cloud of passers-by had formed, kept out by a regular city policeman.

Unhindered, the dog pierced through the crowd, dragging the sadist in its wake. The policeman tried to push the dog away; but when he saw that a Shinsengumi officer was hanging onto it, said policeman changed in mind and showed his respects to the young man.

“Oh, you’re already there? I just called you!” Exclaimed the policeman. “The ambulance should be arriving soon!”

“Ha? Can you explain to me what’s going on here?” Asked Sougo, a bit lost.

At the same time, the ambulance had arrived in the park, and the crowd of onlookers was quickly dispersed to allow for the passage of the vehicle; while said onlookers remained nearby.

“We have our hands full with an unresponsive young girl. I don’t know what happened exactly, but when I got there, she was barely breathing!” Explained the policeman; a little distraught by the whole ordeal.

Sougo’s blood froze in his veins. Behind the policeman, near a bench, stood - or rather, lied – on the ground the young Yato girl. Without wasting more time, he rushed to her side. He was still skeptical; however. She could very well be pretending to be passed out, after all. It wouldn’t be the first time. And worrying as well as agitating people would cost them dear; both for her and the Boss.

“Hey, Piggy, what are you doing ?”He blurted out; under the stunned gaze of the policeman.

Yet, the young girl still did not move.

“Hey, I’m talking to you, fat lump!” He kept going on.

“Make way! Make way! Let us pass!” Exclaimed the paramedics; arriving behind Sougo.

The young man finally felt that the situation wasn’t normal at all. There had been no reaction whatsoever from the young girl, even when he insulted her.

As he was realizing that what was currently happening wasn’t a joke, he was pushed aside; while the two paramedics began to check their patient’s condition.

“Her vital signs are abnormal. Irregular heartbeat.” One of them said.” We must evacuate her now!”

Without further ado, his colleague returned to the vehicle and brought back a stretcher on which the young girl was laid; her motionless form suggesting that the worst had happened.

“Where are you taking her to?” Sougo asked in an authoritative tone.

“To Edo General Hospital!” One of the paramedics answered before lifting the stretcher; assisted by his colleague, and then making their way to the ambulance.

The rear doors of the vehicle were closed, and immediately, the ambulance whirled off, all lights on and sirens blaring; leaving on-site a Shinsengumi officer barely aware of what had just happened.

The dog at his side kept on barking, while the purple umbrella left on the ground seemed to have lost its shine.

Coming to his senses, the young man then asked the crowd still present as well as the policeman what they had seen. Everyone who had witnessed the scene itself described the young girl walking, then suddenly collapsing to the ground; for no apparent reason.

Sougo then came to the conclusion that someone had dared to knock the girl down before he had the chance to do so. But he didn’t know how, or why.

As for Gintoki, he absolutely did not expect for Shinpachi to arrive breathless and panicked at the door, screaming that Kagura had been taken to the hospital. He never thought such a thing could happen.

To tell the truth, no one could have thought of such a thing.

Yet, it had happened. Kagura was in the hospital, between life and death.

* * *

_**To be continued.** _


	3. Realization

The two Yorozuya had arrived as quickly as possible, nearly knocking over people in their path, as well as missing two well-known Shinsengumi people already waiting in front of the door to the room they’d been directed to. Hijikata Toushiro and Okita Sougo were already there, obviously as worried as they were, although they didn't let it show.

Hijikata was biting on an unlit cigarette that he had been forbidden to smoke inside the building, while Sougo simply stared at the two newcomers with his signature expressionless eyes.

And obviously, the two officers did not suspect the least the storm that was coming their way.

“What have you two done; again?!” Gintoki yelled at the two men.

The two officers recoiled; before Sougo decided to speak. They weren’t used to seeing the Boss in such an emotional turmoil.

“All we did was to keep a close watch to her room. Oh, and also make sure she would get to the hospital before she kicks the bucket”, he said calmly.

He was promptly lifted by his own collar by the silver-haired samurai, an evil gaze fixed on him.

“If I come to know that what’s happening to her was actually your doing, or anyone else’s among you Bakufu dogs, nothing will stop me from coming and getting your heads”, Threatened Gintoki; deadly serious.

“You might change your mind, Boss, when you’ll find out what really happened...” Said Sougo.

As if not touching the ground anymore didn’t matter.

“So?! What exactly happened there?!” Asked angrily Gintoki.

Still not really worrying about the fact that his feet were no longer touching the ground because of the Yorozuya’s grip, Sougo continued:

“If we reckon what the people still at the scene were able to tell us, it looks like China caused mayhem while fighting with someone in the park. The two of them were destroying so much stuff the residents called the police. But the police officer I met there told me he had to call in for reinforcements at the time; because said situation was worsening by the minute.”

The perm-head eased a bit, and his grip loosened enough for the Shinsengumi First Division’s Captain to descend to the ground.

“We don’t really know what happened after that”, Hijikata continued, “But what is certain is that the guy she was facing vanished when the bulk of the troops arrived; and that girl was already lying on the ground. So it’s very likely that this guy wasn’t being fair play; more like a sore loser, even...”

“By sore loser… You mean…?” Inquired Shinpachi; worried.

“He may have poisoned her. This is the only probable case where China would end up unconscious on the ground; without being badly hurt...” Concluded Sougo.

Gintoki let go of the young man and rushed into the room; followed closely by Shinpachi, who, like Hijikata, had witnessed the scene without really knowing what was going to happen next.

Kagura was unconscious, and she didn’t open her eyes; although the two men kept calling her name for several minutes. It seemed like she couldn’t breathe on her own, a mask covering her mouth and nose.

After a while, silence fell in the room; to the extent that Sougo and Hijikata wondered if the two men hadn’t left the room by another door without being seen. However, the two men were still there. It’s just that they didn’t dare say a word anymore; or rather at a loss for words, for the situation seemed so unreal.

A few minutes later, a doctor came to the two Shinsengumi officers who’d remained outside; arrival which brought out of their contemplative state the two Yorozuya; who then went to the small group. After a few introductions, the doctor eventually explained what was going on.

“We initially thought that she’d been poisoned, given her symptoms, so we carried out several analyzes. But absolutely nothing came out. Her condition then worsened, and we had to put her in intensive care...”

“But? There’s always a ‘but’ when a doctor makes a dramatic pause…” Complained Gintoki.

The doctor nodded, and then took out of an envelope he had under his arm a transparent black sheet. It was an x-ray picture of Kagura’s body, and more precisely, her head and chest.

“Doc...” Asked Gintoki, worried like never before, “What’s all this stuff?”

The three other men also there were asking themselves the exact same question.

They were not medical doctors, and therefore, could not know how to read an x-ray picture correctly. However, there were cases where even without being a doctor, one could see the obvious. Obvious that took the form of hundreds of little white dots; as if some liquid had been sprayed on a window, like an extremely fine mist. Small dots were present all over the girl’s body; including her head.

“We tried to take a sample on one of these visible ‘spots’,” said the doctor, “only to discover that these spots are actually nanobots”.

As soon as the man said the word “nanobots”, Gintoki was overwhelmed with a certain unease, recalling the events of the Joui war, when he and his companions had to face formidable enemies using a nanovirus to slowly but surely infect and kill humans. He couldn’t help but fear that Kagura had been infected with it, although there was no reason for a living strain of the disease to hang around this present time in the middle of Edo. But his concerns were quickly lifted.

“The nanobots aren’t doing anything, save for disrupting her bodily functions. It seems they are also preventing her from waking up”.

“So? What are you waiting for; to get these filthy things off her?” Asked Hijikata.

“We’re trying everything we can do, but we haven’t figured out a way to get them all out at once, yet. We realized that removing even a small amount of them was putting her life on the line. And unfortunately, time is against us in this case.”

At this last statement, Gintoki exploded.

“Then what the hell are you waiting for to get her out of this situation?! You mean she might die if we don’t get that filth off her body quickly enough?!”

The doctor nodded with reserve, fearing another -but more violent this time – outburst from the man, if he were to express this next idea aloud. But despite that, he still had one thing to say.

“However, since your friend arrived here, we have closely monitored her vital signs to keep an eye on the development of her bad condition, “ he made yet another pause,” and we have thus noticed that she had a very intense brain activity...”

“It’s all well and pretty to hear, your medical lingo, but think of people like us who don’t get it!” Gintoki got angry.

“Gin-san!” Intervened Shinpachi. “Please calm down and let him speak; otherwise we might be kicked out!”

Indeed, many heads had turned in their direction on several occasions; with staff members casting disapproving and suspicious looks at the walking noisy nuisance.

Gintoki sighed heavily and waited for the man to resume his explanation.

“It seems that your friend here is currently dreaming...”

* * *

_**To be continued.** _


	4. Am I dreaming?

Uhm.

A drop of sweat rolled down the girl’s forehead.

Gah.

The girl frowned and slightly closed her eyes.

Erf.

Thin pale hands closed a little more on the handle of a purple umbrella.

Why did she still have to go out in such hot weather, eh? Why? What (really) wrong stuff had she done, that it would give rise to such an ordeal, to begin with? Okay, she had done a lot of bad things in her short life, but if you excluded the accidental destruction and punches in the face, violent responses to assault, or what she put some sadist through; it couldn’t be that much. Right? All of that might have been 60 to 70% of all her bad deeds. Come one. Let’s also remove the things or people destroyed because of emotions getting the better of herself; and voila, it made 90%! What remained… Let’s say it was part of any human’s usual, natural rate of meanness…. Except that she wasn’t human. Besides, this ‘natural rate’ was a bit high for a young girl of her age; human or not.

Ah! There was no point in justifying oneself! She hadn’t done anything bad enough to deserve that! And that was it! She had suffered many injuries of varying degrees of severity in her life, and she really believed that the day she died it would be on the battlefield. But no; she was going to dry out and die grilled under the sunlight like a slice of bread excessively toasted ending up at the bottom of a dustbin; completely charred.

And the worst part? She couldn’t come home now, because the Yorozuya Boss had ordered her to go buy him strawberry milk and a packet of toilet paper. And why had she accepted without flinching already? Oh yes. Because the Perm had promised she wouldn’t need to take part in the three next jobs the Yotozuya would get. The more than tempting offer -at first glance, that is – had finally turned against Kagura with the harshest of punishments.

Having to endure the sunlight was already hell in itself for a Yato; but having to endure the summer sun of Earth, a planet where there were no long rainy seasons like on other planets? Way worse.

There wasn’t any word to describe anything worse than hell, right? Unless Kagura didn’t know said word yet. And now, she really felt regret, having made a pact with that white devil…

She had already bought what was needed – If not the extra order from Gintoki, strawberry milk and toilet paper; order he’d yelled from within the Agency’s toilets – and had taken the opportunity to buy herself an ice cream stick swallowed in a few minutes; with more sweat running down her forehead. Forehead partly hidden by a bandana wrapped around the top of her head. The heat was definitely unbearable. _Nothing else could have been more…_

“Oh, still sweating like steamed pork, China?” Said an unmistakable voice.

… _Annoying._

She’d thought too soon. What a bad habit of hers. And Okita Sougo, Shinsengumi’s Sadist, had a bad habit of always arriving at the worst times.

“Leave me alone, Sadist. I can’t waste time with you, or else Gin-chan will be forever trapped in the bathroom!”

“Ah? The Boss still has some heavy shit up his ass?” Wondered the Sadist.

“It’s always better than having it on your head! What did you do to your hair, Sadist? Did you soak them in the government dogs’ toilets, or what?” She replied dryly.

“Oh, that? It’s my handsome young man’s hair that makes all girls swoon for me; but since you’re not in this category, I understand that you can’t admire them fro their true beauty. Must be the effects of the Bitch-Filter...”

“Ah? The Bitch-Filter? Don’t you mean the Single-Graceful-Young-Lady-Filter?”

“Tssk! Really, your verbal comebacks are less and less imaginative...” He said. “Has your brain melted with the heat or what?”

Ah, there it is; he crossed the line right there! She was fuming inside, and more than wanted to throw a good right in his face. But if she started anything, it would turn into a pitched battle that would probably last a very long time; and in this heat? No way. She had to keep her strength to come back to the Yorozuya Agency. So she chose to ignore him; and after giving him a disdainful look, resumed walking as if that interaction had never taken place.

“Oi, are you going to ignore me now? You break my heart, monstrous kid!” he taunted.

_Keep your calm, Kagura… Control yourself_ …

“Really? Are you going to do this to me? That’s low. Well, at the same time, it’s in your nature, right?”

That little shit…

This bastard was following her like her shadow, not even bothered by the surrounding heat; and kept on harassing her.

“But if you keep walking like this...” He continued.

Really? Why? Why does he have to go after her at all costs? Huh?

“… And also with your pig’s feet...”

She must have been having a nightmare. Yes. Being pissed off in an already calamitous situation; by another calamity, no less.

“… Not to mention warts, and also...”

Yeah. In the end, it must have been a nightmare. What if she did everything she could to ignore him as much as possible? Yes, erase his very existence, so that she would no longer see him, hear him, or smell him.

“… Oi… It’s not like I have all day either...”

Ah, that wasn’t working; was it?

“What do you want from me, Sadist?!” She snapped.

Scream that surprised a good amount of people in the street, and hardly the young man, who didn’t let it show.

“Oi, what’s happening to you today? First you ignore me, then yell at me. Don’t tell me it’s that time of the month again?” He mocked.

That was the last thing he had time to say, before taking a devastating punch in the middle of the cheek that sent him waltzing a few yards away; without having any time to parry. It should be noted that the young Yato had more than taken him by surprise; and that despite her momentary weakened state due to to the heat, she had had enough strength in the punch she packed to fracture his jaw.

“Hey, What was that for?!” He moaned, still lying on the ground.

It must also be noted that, despite having half his cheek smacked away by the young Yato, he still had enough presence and appearances preserved to appear to be just dozing on the ground.

Kagura didn’t answer, and turned on her heels to get away as quickly as possible from this nuisance who hadn’t let go of her for the last minutes; to rush into the small supermarket open 24 hours a day and collect the last two items needed to complete the quest given by Gin-chan, Lord of Toilets.

Her last purchases put in a bag, and said bag hung on one of her hands with other bags she’d already been carrying for a while, she came out of the store; and was astonished to find that the place on the ground where the Sadist had sprawled out was now deserted. He must have been bored out of his mind and had decided to leave said ground. She got rid of him, at last… At least that was she thought; until an explosion turned the ground to dust within a meter of her. She jumped with surprise to the side, narrowly escaping impeding charring, and quickly spotted where the shot was coming from:

On the opposite building, with a still smoking bazooka, stood the Sadist; visibly disappointed at having missed his target.

“That Bastard… I’m going to kill him!” Angrily spat Kagura.

She dropped her grocery bags, exploding the eggs and one of the cartons of strawberry milk in the process; and strode across the street with a determined step towards where the Sadist stood.

“Ah, finally!” Exclaimed Sougo.

He had reached his goal, in the end. He was finally going to be able to try to kick the ass of the Yorozuya girl; he who was so bored by this day made exclusively of patrols. Hijikata had assigned him yet another rotten schedule; after he tried to kill him for the third time after breakfast. A dirty and ugly smile spread over his chubby face.

But on Kagura’s side, annoyance was at its peak height. This dirty blonde head was going to pay! In sheer self-preservation and survival reflex, people moved away from her path; as she crossed the small street on the limit of the Kabuki neighbourhood. Her umbrella still resting on her shoulder, she walked forward frankly. This time she was going to make him eat his own teeth, that was for sure.

Except things don’t always go as planned. Getting halfway to the street which was beginning to empty of people, Kagura suddenly felt a headache.

“Huh? What...”

She didn’t really have time to figure out what was happening to her. She began to have shivers all over her body and feel dizzy. Then she lost her hearing, only perceiving a rough whisper. And all of a sudden, the world wavered. Kagura suddenly fell to the ground, still.

The Sadist didn’t lose a piece of this golden opportunity and rushed down to meet her, ready to strike her with his katana; despite the crowd which began to gather around the young girl sprawled on the ground.

“Oi, you’re doing that again? Looks like you didn’t learn your lesson last time, China. I _**know**_ when you’re pretending...” Announced the Sadist.

Raising his sword, he pushed aside a frightened crowd and was about to strike Kagura squarely in the back; when a hand suddenly stopped him, gripping the wrist of the hand holding the weapon.

“Hey, motherfucker, what do you think you’re doing?” Kagura asked weakly, recovering her consciousness.

“Huh? Can’t you see? I’m going to take advantage of your weakened state to cut you into little pieces!” He smiled.

Suddenly; Kagura shuddered. The presence was still there. She had felt it. Alert, she got up quickly, despite her state of weakness caused by the surrounding heat.

Another shiver. Someone had just touched her hand. She looked behind her fast, without seeing anything. And when she turned around again, the Sadist was nowhere to be seen; gone. She was alone again, in the crowded street.

* * *

At Gengai’s place, two well-known Yorozuyas were impatiently awaiting the judgment which would be rendered by a slightly deranged old man. An old man who, with magnifying glasses on his nose, observed with attention a tiny object placed under a microscope, in a Petri dish.

“Hmm. And you say they took that away from the little one’s body?” Gengai asked, barely paying attention to his surroundings.

“Yes! This is the fourth time you’ve asked that, old coot!” Said Gintoki, annoyed.

“Hum… I must say that’s a bit beyond my field of expertise...” Added the old man.

“You can’t do anything then?! You could have said that thirty minutes earlier! It would have saved us from hanging around for nothing!” Exploded Gintoki.

“Hey! I said it was a bit beyond me, not that there was absolutely nothing I could do!” Retorted the old man, feeling offended.

“Gengai-san, do you mean you may have a solution?” Shinpachi hopefully asked.

The old man nodded.

“It’s gonna take a little while, but if you bring Tama back here for me, I think I’ll cut that time down a lot. These nasty things are Amanto made…”

At these words, Gintoki held his breath. Could it be after all, that these nanomachines were the same… As those carried by the Enmi during the Joui war?

“However, these things are to very aggressive. At least to the naked eye. I managed to isolate some of their programming code, and it looks like this filth was programmed so that infected people could _**never**_ wake up…”

Gintoki’s throat tightened. It wasn’t the Enmi’s Kodoku, but it was just as terrible. With the uttermost bad luck, Kagura would never… She would never be here again.

“However, I may be able to reprogram one of these machines and ask it to shut down its fellows; but it might take a long time, even with Tama. And there is something else to take into account…”

The two Yorozuyas held their breaths.

“I can turn off these machines all at once, with any luck; but if Kagura doesn’t want to wake up...” Began Gengai. 

“You’re kidding, old man! Of course, she’ll want to!”Gintoki laughed nervously. “It’s not like she’s gonna have a deadly sleepover, eh?”

“Think it over, Ginnoji. The doctors told you she was dreaming, didn’t they?” Implied Gengai. “If this dream of hers is also a side effect caused by these nanomachines, she may not know what happened to her; and still thinks she’s in the real world. So, what do you think will happen if you think you’re in the real world, and not inside a dream?”

"She… Will never ever wake up...” Understood gravely Shinpachi.

* * *

_**To be continued.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s note: Thank you all for the follow/fav and kudos!   
> I love to make Kagura and Sougo argue. It’s so fun! They’re so petty with each other!   
> But I also love to play on the appearances of things! You may have already noticed some stuff there and then! :)


	5. Memories.

Kagura had deserved a good day’s rest after all she had been through yesterday. Really! This insufferable guy had really decided to hunt her down; even weakened as she was! When the weather was cooler, for sure, she was going to crush him!

Fuming as she had been doing for the past few hours, Kagura hadn’t noticed that someone had been insistently banging on the door of the Yorozuya agency for several minutes… Eventually, the abrupt opening of the sliding door brought Kagura back to her senses, and she came out of her closet/bedroom to see who was disturbing her at such a time of the day (10 a.m., which wasn’t as much that early, given that it was already a late hour in the morning). An air of surprise was displayed without restraint on her still half-asleep face when she saw who had just entered the agency and was taking off his cloak.

“P...Papi?!” Gasped the young Yato.

“Kagura… As far as I can see, the two other useless ones aren’t there, are they?” Wondered Umibouzu.

“No, Gin-chan and Pachi left for a job!” She hastily replied. “But what are you doing here Papi?”

“Ah… I came to see you”, he said.

With that, he took off his boots and left the entrance to walk towards the living room/Yorozuya office/dining room, where he collapsed on one of the blue couches in the middle of the room. Without a word, Kagura followed him and sat down across from him. If her father had come all this way to see her, it only meant one thing.

“Kagura, I came to tell you...”

“If it’s to ask me to go with you to space and become an alien hunter like you; it’s no.” She replied sharply.

Umibouzu seemed a bit taken aback, but kept going nonetheless.

“Um, yes and no… Actually, I fought the other day one of those aliens from the Sigma galactic sector, and almost losing my other arm, I thought… That maybe I got a bit too old for this work.”

Kagura was afraid of misunderstanding. To her father’s swords, her face displayed as much astonishment as bewilderment.

“Papi-”

“I’m thinking about quitting the alien hunter profession, Kagura”. He said, interrupting her.

Kagura was at a loss for words. If Papi stopped doing what he’d always done since she was a child, then…

“And… What are you going to do then?”She asked fearfully.

Umibouzu stared back at her, straight in the young girl’s eyes. His bald head was shining because of the sunlight coming through the agency’s windows. He then declared in a solemn tone:

“I am thinking of coming to live on Earth; that is, if you agree to have your old father at your side, Kagura”.

Multiple contradictory emotions rushed through the young Yato’s chest, but only one of them was strong enough to make her act. She suddenly stood up, and before the older Yato could grasp what was going on…

“K...Kagura?” He asked, unsure.

Kagura left the room, violently closing the door behind her.

The one emotion which was strong enough to make her move in accordance with what her father had just said… Was anger.

* * *

Meanwhile, in one of Kabuki district’s main avenues, two men were discussing away from the crowd; about something that could have been trivial but was in fact a much bigger problem than it seemed.

And one of those two men was the then-on-duty policeman who arrived first at the scene of the ‘incident’.

“So. You’re sure this guy ran away right after that Chinese girl started stumbling?” Asked the young man with red eyes.

The policeman, still on patrol at this time of the day, was made a little uncomfortable by the two crimson eyes watching him.

“Um… Yeah, I guess… I was pretty busy keeping the crowd away since those two had started demolishing the entire park...”He replied. “But I’m pretty certain these two weren’t kidding. I’m sure I saw some bones being broken that day...”

Sougo remembered the last clashes that had taken place between him and the Yorozuya girl. More than anyone, he knew full well that the young Yato’s punches were not to be underestimated. Even more when she took things seriously. Her emotions could make someone go from a simple bump to a broken bone. He’d been on her wrong side more than once.

“Now that we’re talking about this, I found the two had a quite similar way of fighting”? Continued the policeman. “I didn’t see well the man’s face though, because his head was partially covered in bandages...”

“You mean this guy was hiding his face? And his clothes were of the same fashion to those of that Chinese girl?” Sougo inquired.

The policeman nodded.

“Maybe they’re from the same planet, who knows...”

In the distance, a scuffle between a drunkard and a salesman brought the patrolling man out of his torpor.

“Ah, excuse me Captain Okita, but if you happen to have any other questions, I’ll have to ask you to come back when I’m not on duty...”

He quickly apologized and ran to the heckling in progress to separate the two idiots who had come to a grotesque struggle of strength; where the drunkard’s slowness also slowed the salesman’s actions.

As for Sougo, he finished memorizing what the man had told him. And that could only mean one thing. China had fought another Yato, despite the fact that Yatos were scarce on Earth. Therefore, it must be an individual who came from elsewhere. And this ‘elsewhere’, Sougo already knew where it could be.

He looked up at the sunny sky, narrowing his eyes at the blinding star. One of those Harusame bastards had come on purpose to incapacitate the young Yato. His rival. And that, he was not going to let it pass. He was going to find the one who did that, and he was going to break all his joints one by one…

* * *

Insistent, worried looks hung over the old man. Two of them, to be more precise.

“So?” Asked the perm-head.

“So what?” Replied Gengai.

“So?” Gintoki asked again.

“What?! What in the end do you want?!” Gengai got angry. “You’ve asked me this question twenty times already! You brought Tama, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to have results in the next seconds, the next minutes, or even the next hours to come!”

“You said that with Tama, it would be faster! But it’s not fast enough!”

“Gin-san”, tried Shinpachi. “It’s true that Gengai-san said things would be faster, but I think he would be better off working alone, in order to get more time to think...”

The Yorozuya boss’s shoulders relaxed.

“I know you worry about Kagura-chan. I worry about her too… But all we can do for now is waiting...”

“Pattsuan… You didn’t get the situation here… If Kagura doesn’t wake up… Then she won’t be the only one sleeping for ever...”

“What do you mean, Gin-san?”

“ **Her crazy father will come and make us sleep for ever too!** ” Gintoki exploded, in a hysterical voice.

“ **So that’s what you** **worry** **about in the end?!** ” The on-duty Tsukkomi also exploded, slapping his employer on the head.

“But Pattsuan...” Gintoki tried miserably. “Think about it! If the old bald man ever finds out what happened, he’ll come back to Earth; and execute the both of us because we failed to protect Kagura!”

At that thought alone, Shinpachi couldn’t suppress a shudder… The Yorozuya boss was right to worry about that. But still, it was far from being the most important thing to care about at the time; even with this imminent threat hanging over the two men.

“A-All we have to do is save Kagura-chan before her father hears about it”, the bespectacled boy said hesitantly. “But honestly, I would worry more about the person who caused Kagura-chan’s condition...Whether all of this ends well or not, this individual may not see the sun rise again **(1)** ”.

“Hmm… That’s right”, reasoned Gintoki. “After all, we’re supposed to protect that glutton, and we’re not to blame for what happened to her, not at all...”

“Yet it was you, Gin-san, who told her to go buy some rice because she’d eaten everything; and that her superhuman strength would allow her to carry several packs at the same time...” Said Shinpachi, not believing the least what the Yorozuya boss had just said.

“W-w-w-w-w-w-what are you talking about, Pattsuan! I never said that!” Gintoki tried pitifully.

Shinpachi sighed at the recklessness and idiocy of his employe; and turned his gaze to the old Gengai, who was working with Tama in front of several computer screens.

Even though it didn’t look like it the least, Gintoki was just as worried about the young girl. He could also really be fearing Umibouzu. But if Shinpachi knew anything about the perm-head, it was the fact that he always thought about serious matters more than what he’d display…

* * *

_**To be continued…** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Explanatory notes: 
> 
> (1) “the sun will rise again/hi wa mata noboru”: reference to the scanlation group who translated all of Gintama. It’s a way of saying my thanks^^.


	6. Crescendo

It had been several days since Kagura had been brought to the hospital, yet she didn’t show any sign of remission. The Yorozuya had made the old Gengai go crazy, with all the times they came and harassed him into finding a solution; and the Shinsengumi had completed the preliminary investigation concerning the events that took place at the park. For once, a job quickly and efficiently completed.

But now that the theory of the lone Harusame who came to settle things out with the young Yato had been proven to be right, things were not really moving forward. Everyone and everything was stagnating, to tell the truth…

As for the young girl, it seemed like she was in a state similar to that of a person immersed in a vegetative state.

* * *

Walking furiously down the street outside the Yorozuya agency, a young Yato was too heartbroken and too dispirited to do anything other than walk straight ahead while avoiding as many people as possible on her trajectory.

He’d dared.

He’d dared to pretend he cared about her. After all this time.

It was no use saying that Kagura was a daddy’s girl and extorted everything she could from the old bald man ; there had always been, against all odds, a certain fondness towards the old man. But the nature of said emotional attachment? Many people had misunderstood it.

She didn’t have any respect for the old man. He was her father, and that made everything all the more painful. He was supposed to be a father. He had been like one, during a part of her childhood. He had been in that parenting rôle for such a brief time that she couldn’t really feel connected to him ; as any parent and child should be.

He currently was between the complete stranger and the third degree uncle who would come every Christmas to embarrass the whole family. She hated him. But she loved him too. She wanted to hit him, but also to hug him. She wanted him to disappear from her life, but also to remain by her side; as he should have been.

But he’d done something so unforgivable that she could never get so close to him. Never.

He’d abandoned them. She couldn’t have understood at the time – because of her young age – the various reasons that led the man to desert the planet, and to leave both of them behind; alone. She couldn’t possibly forgive her brother, either. But as for her father, she had a firm belief that the betrayal had come from him; first. The bald man had betrayed them. And for that, she would never forgive him.

The fact that he told her point-blank that he wanted to come and live on Earth with her sounded more like a gross insult, a vile joke, than sincere feelings.

She’d felt relieved at first. Thinking that she could finally make up for her wasted childhood. But reality ha suddenly came back and had struck her a violent punch in the stomach, before german-suplexing her. He was her father, but he also was Umibouzu.

He’d preferred his job as an alien hunter over his family. And from then on, he’d lost any rights to call himself a father. Maybe that was the reason she was more Human than Yato. She’d thought that they could live as a happy family; despite a sick mother and a rowdy brother. But it was a forbidden topic. You ought to be a full-fledged Yato, even in your own feelings ; even if…

Even if your mom wasn’t as strong as you; and never would be.

Any form of weakness had to be crushed and buried. Choke it until all that’s left is the proud and ruthless Yato.

She started running aggressively towards the Kabuki District’s park, but suddenly came to an halt on a bridge. What was she doing right now… As if going to her lifelong rival would help in any way about everything.

What a moron she was. That asshole probably wouldn’t understand anything anyway, and would still rather call her a monster than a young girl.

She leaned on one of the railings of the wooden bridge and watched the flow of water caress the stones with an unearthly slowness.

Why?

Her head dropped a little more, and her locks of vermillion hair hid her eyes.

Why?

She clenched her teeth and bit her lower lip.

Why?

Her fists clenched until they turned slightly red.

Why indeed… Why had she thought about that asshole in this situation? Why?

While what was supposed to hurt her the most – her feelings of resentment towards her father – faded away, she was in even more pain. She saw him, with his passive gaze, bluntly telling her that she was a monster. A monster. The monster her father had wanted her to become.

Something warm fell on her hand and on the bridge’s railing.

She wanted to fight back. She didn’t want to give up. She didn’t want to be a monster. She wanted to be Human. Even though it was only a tiny part of her, she wanted to put that human part forward. She wanted this part to become her whole being, even if it meant giving up her superhuman strength to do so. She wanted people to stop giving her scared looks. Even if she sometimes seemed to enjoy said looks and finding it funny, she wanted, deep inside her, to be like those delicate young girls who could live normal lives. Who could walk in the sun without difficulty, and walk at night without fear of an Amanto unit disembarking to try eliminate you.

She just wanted… She just wanted to be more human. She just wanted to be closer to her new family. Her Earth family. For once, she wanted to feel what it felt like to be part of a real -even an imperfect one – family.

But then… She felt a soft warmth all over her hand. With a gaze still blurry from the tears that had been falling from a few minutes, she stared at her hand. There wasn’t anyone here with her ; yet she definitely felt the warmth of a hand on hers. A comforting hand, although she couldn’t see it. But the feeling was there. Her heart, frozen with dark thoughts, warmed a little at the unexplained presence; and she sniffed loudly.

Down below, the river kept flowing, not the least bit disturbed by the young girl’s tears.

* * *

Shinpachi pushed open the door to Kagura’s room. He’d gone to get something to drink, considering the late hour of the day. They’s done a pretty heavy job a few hours ago, and drinking something cool would surely do them good.

The Boss had stayed with the young girl, seated on a chair next to the bed. He had a worried look on his face, and Shinpachi told himself the Yorozuya had never looked so much like a father as he was right now. But that; he would never dare say out loud.

The young man handed the older one a can of iced tea, and the Yorozuya motioned for him to put it on the trolley next to them.

Shinpachi did so and returned his gaze to the unconscious girl.

"How is she?" He asked.

"Always the same", replied Gintoki. "No change whatsoever..."

He had a bitter tone in his voice, and his eyes looked even more dead than usual.

"You should drink something, Gin-san..."

"I know", he said with both hands wrapped around Kagura’s. "But I’m scared that if I let go of her for too long, she won’t know how to come back to the real world..."

* * *

_**To be continued…** _


	7. Gaze.

It had been several weeks already. Which almost felt like an eternity even, for worried people waiting for their loved one to wake up again. Yet, one of these worried people had a hard time showing up at the hospital. To tell the truth, this person – well, this individual- had done everything possible to avoid going there. He wasn’t one of those who like hospitals. Not even close. It was the place he preferred to avoid as much as possible. Too many painful memories were connected to it.

Okita Sougo was that kind of person. Under this violence and this inexpressive facade, was hidden a being endowed with feelings, like every being gifted with consciousness. And as far as hospitals were concerned, the young man felt many strong emotions: hatred, fear, sadness. He hated this environment which reeked of medical alcohol and disinfectant and which had been unable to do anything for his sister. He was scared of finding in that place one of the few people he still cared about. He was scared of feeling the bitterness and sadness he’d felt that day; when his sister had stopped breathing. Feelings that assailed him from all sides, instilling in him permanent concern.

So, despite the fact that his lifelong rival, and probably the only person more able to guess what he was thinking, was confined in one of those sanitized rooms… He had done everything to prevent himself from going there. However… He’d broken his resolve only a few weeks after. In his spare time, he looked for information on the culprit, without finding anything useful in the end. And then… There he was.

Not daring to take a step, on the threshold of the too white to be honest -or to be pleasant to look at with tired eyes- room. And how much tired he was. He felt relieved that no one would be around to see the state he was in at this late hour of the night, nor the shadow of his former self that he’d become. During the day he was merciless as usual. In the evening, he returned to his vulnerable self. And he hated it.

His eyes scanned the room as if this inanimate thing and the objects it contained could give him some information as well as speak to him; unlike the room’s current occupant. He didn’t get any answer; apart from the repetitive noises of the medical equipment in operation.

After a few seconds of hesitation, he entered the room; and after walking around the bed, sat down on the chair closest to the window overlooking a cloudy night sky. You could see the lights coming from the traffic of a few vehicles, and that was it. The rest of the city seemed to be shrouded in an oppressive twilight and a suffocating haze; overshadowing the heights of the tallest buildings.

He sighed, and his gaze lingered on the girl’s face.

“So that’s it? Are you going to give up without putting up a fight? That’s very unlike the China I know...”

There was no answer; only silence.

“Really… You’re making everyone worry for you… It’s worse than this time when everyone thought you were dead… What are you trying to achieve like that?”

He listened to the quiet, steady rhythm of her breathing, and that was it.

“The China I know would have already taken over these nasty things; and would have stormed out of here to eat her disgusting seaweed that tastes like an old man’s armpits...”

His eyes stared at the girl, then looked around the room again. On the small table, a few dying flowers, a few get well cards, and two packs of Sukonbu. The last ones being obviously a gift from the two other Yorozuyas.

“You have to wake up China… Otherwise… I won’t have anyone left to fight with every day. And Hijibaka is the type of guy that dies suddenly for nothing, so I can’t really lash out at him as seriously as I do with you...”

Subconsciously, his grip tightened around the red sleeping mask in his pocket. What if, as the doctors said, she never woke up? He hadn’t really thought about it during those long weeks, but now that he realized the gravity of the situation, the events seemed unreal to him. Maybe he was the one dreaming, after all. And it was more of a nightmare than a dream.

Now, all that he could see was nothing but his sister, lying in a hospital bed. He knew it wasn’t true. His sister had already been dead for a while now. Dead… A word that sounded so alien to him, yet so familiar.

But things had taken such a turn of events that he could only see his sister’s sleeping face.

And he took her hand in his. There wasn’t just one sleeping person in the room; Sougo knew that very well. He’d fallen asleep since his sister died and he, too, should one day wake up, and face reality head-on. However, for the moment, he will be content to doze off and think about his sister at every chance he’ll get. All he could do now was turn his attention back to the second most important woman in his life.

There were footsteps in the hallway, and the next moment a nurse passed the bedroom door, then retraced her steps and entered the room.

“Ah, who left the window open again? This is the fourth time this week!” She complained aloud.

She quickly closed the sliding window and returned her attention to the patient. Everything seemed normal, so she came out and resumed her round as an on-duty night nurse.

* * *

_**To Be Continued…** _

* * *

**Original author's note (translated from French): "Humans are all uGly. Fortunately, I'm a beautiful female monkey".**


	8. Joints.

The commotion on the Harusame Seventh Division’s ship was in full swing. Some Yatos ran, others walked fast, even bumping into each other.

At times, one of the decks would explode, exposing its occupants to the void of space; occupants who, not the least impressed, clung to anything and everything to keep moving forward as if nothing had just happened in the first place. Although some found themselves in a horizontal position due to the loss of artificial gravity, or even upside down.

They went about their business, even the most trivial, like peeling potatoes in the kitchen, in absolute calm, even it the next moment the room was in flames.

Needless to say, the Yatos were afraid of nothing.

And during a space battle, knowing how to hang on to what you could - and getting back to your assigned position without being evacuated into space as quickly as the Vice-Captain’s serious business was by toilet flushing- were innate skills required to earn the reputation of strongest clan in the universe.

In addition, there was a certain characteristic of the space assaults led by the Yato that could make your blood froze in your veins. They attacked no matter the situation. No more hallways? Swim through space to the next pressurized room. No more ammunition? Send guys instead. Enemy ship about to escape? Blow up the engines with an umbrella.

A Yato was terrifying no matter what, even in the most insignificant situation. But, you may ask, what can be even more terrifying than a Yato wreaking havoc in an endless uproar?

The answer to this question was very simple. An answer with two arms and two legs, an unalterable smile, and a long braid of red hair. An answer now in a locked room, in the company of two unfortunate people. One of them, a newly made prisoner, the other being…

“Captain, the troops are almost done cleaning up outside, but if this keeps going on, the bill for the repairs to our ship will make us penniless and go out of business...” Complained Abuto.

“Shut up, Abubu. Otherwise, I’ll tear your other arm off”, said the answer, better known as Kamui.

In fact, he had become by force of circumstances - well, mostly because of his strength- Admiral in the Harusame fleet. But in view of the habits of calling him Captain, and of the fact that he’d blew up any other unit of said Harusame which weren’t Yatos, the likelihood of enough people remaining for Kamui to be considered Admiral dwindled with each passing day.

But whether he was Admiral or Captain was not the point. The point was, what did a rather pissed off Yato do in a quiet room? Well, aside from the annoying remarks of his direct subordinate. And also the annoying noise of a battle in which he was not taking part. Just like the annoying situation he found himself in. Everything annoyed him, in fact. And as they say, it’s always calm before the storm. Except that after that storm, there’s no good weather. It’s just more storm.

Kamui returned his half-closed gaze to the prisoner, who, although strapped to a chair, was struggling violently. A spy in his own ship. He would have let him wander around a bit for fun. Except that in the meantime, certain events had occurred, cutting short all the fun that was going on.

“Well, you are going to tell me right now who went to Earth to attack my weak sister”, Said Kamui with a big smile and a quite charming voice.

“Go to hell! I won’t say anything!” Spat the prisoner.

There was a sinister cracking sound in the room, then a painful scream.

“You broke my finger, you piece of shit!” Yelled the prisoner.

“Ah, I told you that if you didn’t speak immediately, I would break your fingers one by one”, Kamui smiled.

“Captain, you didn’t really mention that part there. It’s usually more effective to say it before, rather than pretending to have said it after...” Abuto pointed out.

Kamui opened wide astonished eyes.

“Oh really? I was sure I had spoken about it… But at the same time, it would have been less fun if he’d known from the start what was going to happen to him...”

“You’re totally nuts! Both of you!” Yelled the prisoner.

Suddenly, his right ear was pinched hard between two fingers, and he found himself with Kamui’s face as close to his own as physically possible; without the two of them touching.

“Okay, this time I’ll say it more clearly: you will only open your mouth to say what I want to know; if not, bye-bye!”

“Bye-bye? You gotta be kidding me. Captain, please be clearer in your explanations”, Abuto sneered.

“Shut it, Abuto, and don’t open it anymore, otherwise I’ll rip your mouth and ears out like I’m about to do with this fellow”, Kamui smiled with his eyes half-closed again.

Then the Captain once again turned to his prisoner.

“So? Ready to spill it all out?”

“No way!”

Schlac! One ear fell limply to the ground, with such rapidity, that the prisoner did not even realize what had happened to him. Kamui had to show him his own ear full of blood for the guy to finally hear reason.

“I… I’ll Speak! Please stop!” Pleaded the prisoner. “It was the Third Division’s Captain! He sent one of his men to Earth to attack your little sister; in order to undermine you!”

“Yes… And?” urged Kamui.

“And… And?” Asked the prisoner.

The next moment, his left ear found itself pinched very strongly.

“He did something, didn’t he?” insisted Kamui.

“I know nothing about it! I swear! If you want to know more, go ask the sponsor himself!” Implored the prisoner.

Kamui nodded before declaring:

“Um… Abuto, we were planning on visiting him anyway? We can go as soon as the cleaning outside is finished, can we not?”

“Who am I to stake my life on such a question?” Abuto raised. “It’s not we have a choice, anyway...”

“Okay! So head for that bastard from the Third Division! But first, I’m going to have a bit of fun!”

With that said, Kamui walked out of the room and joined the outside mob that was taking part in the fighting, leaving Abuto and the prisoner face to face, alone. The old Yato scratched the back of his head and ended up saying:

“Don’t blame me, but the next step for you is the barrel of biological waste that will soon be expelled into space. Hope you’re not allergic to lemon. It’s the new deodorant used in the toilets”.

* * *

_**To be Continued…** _

* * *

**authors’ note: What a shitty ending! I mean it! XD**

**I can really blow off some steam when writing these two! It’s been a while!**


	9. Presence

If there was one person the young Yato didn’t expect to see on this bridge, it was her rival. No, scratch that. Let’s rephrase that correctly. If there was one person the young Yato _**absolutely didn’t want to see**_ on this bridge, it was her rival.

However, the young girl felt such confused and contrary feelings inside her that she hardly noticed the figure which had approached her. And most disturbingly, she hadn’t even smelt his scent; even though the Yato usually have a very keen sense of smell, which explained, among other things, why Gintoki’s supply of chocolate always disappeared at one point or another…

She wiped away her tears, too proud to show them to her rival; but when she turned around she saw no one.

“China !” Called a voice.

She turned again to where the voice came from; but still, nothing in sight.

Was he playing a joke on her or what?

Just to be sure, she looked everywhere, and even under the bridge. No one.

“China !” The voice called out again sounding closer than ever.

And this time, her rival had appeared at the western end of the bridge.

“Leave me, alone Sadist, I don’t want to see your filthy face !” She blurted out.

“China !” The voice said again, but this time from behind her.

She turned and saw that her rival was now standing at the eastern end of the bridge.

How had he managed to move so fast? And above all, how had he changed his outfit so quickly?

If the one in the west was dressed in his Shinsengumi uniform, the one in the opposite direction wore a long coat with a hood that barely hinted at his features.

“What do you want in the end ?! I’m really not in the mood right now, so back off before I send you to Mars, you Sith Lord bootleg !”

Her normally dressed rival stepped, and stepped, going forward without rest. And the more he went, the more she wanted to send him flying to next week. Literally. And he was in her security perimeter - about ten meters - when she let her resentment explode. She rushed over to him and punched him hard.

“Get your ass to Mars! (1) Bastard !” She yelled.

And indeed, her rival flew away. Only to land a little further away in the river’s bed.

She brooded for a moment, then quickly turned to the other supposed copy of her rival.

“If it’s you, Yamazaki, I’m going to rip apart your balls and make you eat them !” She yelled.

But said individual didn’t move. She couldn’t see his face, and the only thing hinting at her rival was the voice she’d heard. Except that her rival was currently compelled into taking a bath. Therefore, the Sadist had to call – or rather, forced – one of his subordinates into helping him gathering all prerequisite conditions necessary to attain the law of maximum bother. And she knew full well that the Anpan addict was the best intended victim here.

“Get your ass far away from here!” She yelled.

“China...”

Her rival’s voice was heard again… But this time, it came from the hooded person.

Enough. Yamazaki or not, she was so going to wack his face. She began to stride forward, each of her strides making the bridge’s wooden floorboards creak violently under each of her feet.

But when she eventually came face to face with the hooded figure, something unexpected happened. At first, she also wanted to send him reeling with a punch. Following the secular Yato customs, she wanted to blow away what was obstructing her path. However, her fist never hit its intended target. Or rather, technically speaking, it reached it but met nothing tangible. Her fist went through what appeared to be a vaporous shape.

Still surprised, she barely noticed that the previously immaterial form had grasped her arm and held it firmly. Lowering her gaze to her trapped arm, she then raised again her sight, this time to the person’s head; and sank even more into confusion when she saw the face of said person… Who happened to also be her rival. A rival who then began to speak with a dead-serious tone.

“China, listen to me. I have very little time to tell you everything I have to say to you. So, for once in your life, listen to me with all the attention you can muster, and don’t play the disregarding jerk...”

It was the first time the Sadist had ever spoken to her like this; using so few insults. To the point that she wondered if she was dreaming or not.

“China, you have to kill my doppelganger”.

W… What? Did she hear that right? It was getting weirder by the minute… She surely must be having a nightmare or something like that.

“Dammit China, listen to me! I can’t stay here while he’s still there. You understand? As long as you haven’t got rid of him, I won’t be able to come and help you...”

“Help me? Are you trying to be funny here?” She ironically asked. “Since when do Sadists have such generous hearts? No… Let me rephrase it: Since when do Sadists care about anyone other than themselves?”

“Chinaaaa… Bloody listen to me! KILL ME. You must kill me; my copy of this world!” His patience was running thin here.

“What the hell are you talking about? Did all that Tabasco sauce ended up frying your brain?” Said Kagura as she struggled to free her arm.

An arm which, weirdly enough, was still kept a prisoner of the hand of a mere human being.

“KILL ME! If you do so, you’ll see! You’re not in Edo right now, You’re-”

The voice fell silent all of a sudden, the pressure on the young Yato’s arm gone. The man had suddenly vanished into thin air, too.

She didn’t know how he’d managed to split himself up, and given the poor quality of his double, it was probably a failed Kage-Bunshin (2) anyway. But his words still resonated inside her mind. And she couldn’t shake it off, like a treacherous echo that kept coming back and forth.

At the same time, in Edo General Hospital, Captain Okita Sougo woke up from a short nap under the eyes of his superiors and two worried Yorozuya. He blinked several times, and with a still mushy mouth, said:

“She got the message… But it’s up to her to act. If she doesn’t do anything, we won’t be able to intervene...”

* * *

_**To Be Continued…** _

* * *

**Comprehensive notes :**

**(1) reference to the 1990 movie Total Recall.**

**(2) Kage Bunshin no Jutsu : ninja technique used by Naruto in the manga of same name in order to multiply himself.**

* * *

**Author's note:** **And we’re back with the translations!**

**This chapter was originally written and posted back in june 2017, the very day before my departure to Canada, so it was really strange and exciting at the same time.**


	10. Michael Bay, are you there?

An explosion. Two explosions. Three explosions… More explosions.

This was probably what the Yato counted in order to fall asleep, instead of sheep. That, and perhaps robbed restaurants. But said explosions were very much real, and not just locked inside the brain of a stupid lout. And needless to say, if you hear explosions getting close to you, that’s usually a very, very, very bad omen for you. Especially if you’re locked in a spaceship. In the void of space. With Yatos.

And the Captain of the Harusame Third Division knew all too well how dangerous the situation he found himself in was. Hence, why he had taken refuge near the emergency escape pods and was about to take off at any moment.

His plan had been perfect so far. Except someone had ratted him out, and now everything was falling on his face like a shower of shit-flavored butterscotch.

And he wanted to go away even faster and further when he heard the spaceship’s interface saying that more than half of all the rooms and hallways were depressurized and exposed to the vacuum of space.

In haste, he finished the security checks and busied himself with activating all the important systems of the space shuttle. If he ever made it out alive, he would go find the engineer who made this system and sunk him himself. Because activating a shuttle for more than ten minutes left room for potential sudden death.

He was finishing calibrating the propulsion when a crashing sound on the cockpit glass made him look up.

Clinging to the windshield was the Captain of the Harusame Seventh Division, with the biggest smile he’d ever seen him display.

“Fouuuuuuuund yoouuuuuuu!” Kamui said with a melodious voice worthy of the best psychopaths.

If one had to describe in a few words the position of each person, it would be the following. Kamui: Starfish. The Captain of the Third Division: Apericube **(1)**. Abuto: Tourist taking pictures.

Summed up, the enemy was in such a bad situation that even praying to a satanic god wouldn’t have changed anything.

“C-Captain Kamui...” He smiled nervously, curled up on himself.

“Captain Bay!” Kamui smiled sadistically.

The Yato’s fingers began to crack the thick glass and sink into it, and soon his fingertips were inside the vehicle.

“It’s Captain Bae. Michael Bay is the film director...” He gulped.

“Wait, you’re not Michael?” Kamui wondered.

“Well yes, but actually no **(2)**. I’m Michael Bae, not Michael Bay”.

“Saaaaaaame thiiiing”, Kamui smiled while keeping on cracking more the 10cm thick glass.

Kamui then swung his head backward and ended up exploding the window with a head blow, without even flinching the least while doing so.

“A-Abuto! Save meeeeee!” Cried Michael.

Said man, who hadn’t flinched until then, looked up from his smartphone.

“Sorry, but I’m watching an auction on eBay right now.” He said, barely concerned.

“E-Bay? Are you buying Michael Bay’s stuff?” Kamui asked.

“No, it’s a sales website called eBay. Michael has nothing to do with it, although you can find stuff of his own or stuff made by him,” Abuto explained.

“Stuff made by Michael Bae?”

“No, Michael Bay’s,” Abuto replied without really believing that his superior would eventually come to understand what he was talking about.

“It has nothing to do with me, I swear!” Cried Michael Bae.

“So you’re going to eBay that doesn’t belong to Michael Bay to buy Michael Bay stuff?” Kamui summed up.

“Yeah, that’s about it”, Abuto sighed. “Ah! OxxxUxxxx placed a bid higher than me, again… What a pain in the ass...”

Abuto kept on typing on his phone as if nothing happened, while Kamui came back to the most pressing matter.

“So… Michael Bae… You’ll tell me what I want to know, won’t you?”

“I-I-I swear I had no harmful thoughts!” Yelped Michael, crying all the tears he had.

“Yet, you did something that made me terribly _**angry**_ , Michael.” Kamui smiled.

“I-I’m sorry! I’ll tell you everything!”

“I have no doubt about that”, Said Kamui with a face too angelic for such wickedness.

Michael swallowed, fearful he wouldn’t make it out alive.

“It’s an experiment the old geezers wanted me to do! They said that if I did it to your sister, It would be the greater good for everybody!”

“So you’re telling me the old farts are behind all of this? I hope you have the antidote, at least”.

“Yes! I have it! It’s in my office!”

“And where is that?” Kamui asked.

“Back in the section you destroyed half an hour ago, Captain”, Abuto blurted out.

“Ah… Are there none elsewhere?” Kamui asked with a smirk.

“Yes! The old geezers still have some! I swear! They have crates and crates of that thing!” Michael cried.

“Good… Abuto, sound the retreat. We’re going to do ourselves some oldies”.

“If you knew how bad that phrase sounds”, Abuto pointed out before leaving the room.

Then Kamui opened wide his eyes and stared at Michael.

“Captain Kamui, have mercy”, Michael pleaded.

“Mercy? that’s not in the habits of the house. We tend to sharply erase all at once the whole slate, nice and clean...”

He freed himself from his spot in the shattered glass, setting foot on the metallic flooring, and with a sharp blow, kicked the shuttle.

The small spaceship went through the hangar’s wall as though it would have done with a sheet of paper, and whirled away into the void of space.

“ _See you space_ ”, **(3)** Said Kamui.

* * *

_**To Be Continued...** _

* * *

** Comprehensive notes:  **

**(1) Apericube are “delicious small cubes of cheese coming in a variety of flavors, and that can be eaten as an aperitif”. It’s a French product.**

**(2) “well yes, but actually no” is that meme originating from a misquote on a scene from the short movie “So you want to be a pirate!” (bonus released with the movie “The pirates! In an adventure with Scientists!”).**

**(3) reference to the text displayed at the end of every episode from the anime Cowboy Bebop.**

* * *

**Author’s note : You must have noticed now, but I LOVE to write Abuto and Kamui. Especially Kamui being a destructive brat with no common sense, and Abuto being the fed up nanny XD.**

**Chapter also published right before my departure to Canada.**


	11. Wandering

_“Y_ _ou have to kill my doppelganger._..”

Those words still echoed in Kagura’s mind, though they seemed more and more to have been just a strange dream made in the middle of the day.

She remembered being on that bridge, throwing her rival in the air. Then a figure appeared. Like some sort of fog, the stranger’s face had dissipated the newt day as if it had never existed in the first place; making it all the more surreal. Only those words remained, withholding a certain familiar feeling.

Still, when she thought about it… What had she done right after that?

What had she done until it was time to fall asleep and wake up the next day?

No matter how hard she was racking her brains, she couldn’t remember. She wanted to check the time on the Yorozuya boss’s justaway alarm clock; boss she hadn’t seen this morning. Nor either Shinpachi for that matter…

The alarm clock was on the floor, in its usual place against the wall (when no one was sleeping in the room); and strangely enough, the clock’s hands had remained frozen at 5H05 a.m.. They must have stopped in the middle of the night when everyone was asleep, but then how did the perm-head got up earlier than her?

But then again, had he really slept here at all? Now that she thought about it, she didn’t remember anything from last night and therefore didn’t know whether the boss had really been there or not.

She looked at the clock again, and all of a sudden, it now read 11H15, and the hands were in motion again. Yet she remembered perfectly what she’d read there a few minutes earlier. 5H05. 5:50.

The strange hour was etched in her mind, and as it went, another message took shape.

**SOS.**

She wasn’t used to being extremely clever and smart when it came to solving puzzles, but the hour was so peculiar, that her still asleep brain had been able to somewhat see letters in place of numbers.

And Kagura finally began to doubt.

Why was she seeing or feeling inexplicable things?

Why did she feel spied on?

Why did everything seem so superficial?

Why…

These presences that she felt, these contacts which frightened her, these streets which seemed to come alive only when she passed there.

She ran to the front door and pushed the sliding door so hard she almost smashed it.

The usually busy street in front of the agency was empty, deserted. There was not a sound, not even that of the sparrows on the roofs, or the traffic of cars in the distance.

The neighborhood was akin to a ghost town; and when she looked at the sky, as far as the eye could see, there wasn’t a single spaceship flying.

No one.

Was she alone? Was there really nothing alive around here?

She’d frozen in place without even realizing it, there, on the Yorozuya agency’s balcony.

The young Yato had never told anyone about it, but she hated being alone. She didn’t want to go through this anymore.

She had to find someone. So Kagura started to run. First, in the Kabuki district, then in other parts of the city. Then, seeing that she couldn’t find anyone at all, she ended up heading to the other familiar place she knew. A place she’d been reluctant to visit until now, avoiding it carefully.

Shinsengumi’s Headquarters.

There was not a soul. No Gorilla Exhibitionist, no Anpan addict, no Mayo-lover. Not a sound. The main building looked like it had been unoccupied for ages.

A piercing sound, coming from behind her.

Her over-developed survival instinct allowed her to step aside at the last minute. A pistol bullet had grazed her cheek, leaving a red slash on the usually pristine skin.

She turned around and again saw her rival, appearing as if by magic, without a sound.

He was clad in his full Shinsengumi attire, with his black and gold uniform, the still-smoking weapon in his hand. His sword still stored in its scabbard.

She watched him carefully, all senses awakened. His right hand clutched on the gun, the wind lifting his locks of hair. His famous inverted smile, which in fact wasn’t one. More like a thin line akin to a grimace. His eyebrows steadily furrowed. And his gaze. Empty.

No, he wasn’t her rival. Her rival would have had some emotion in his eyes, whether negative or neutral, with a certain glint of malice, rage, or hatred. Eyes that would have been the embodiment of biting, hungry flames; showing that their owner was ready to fight like hell.

But there was none of that. Everything proved that it could have been her old enemy; but by that simple look, she knew. It wasn’t him.

“ _Kill my doppelganger_ ”.

Like someone of old who had come back after many years to knock on your door, those words had come right back at her once again. And now she remembered it all. The hooded man, he had that famous look, even though she couldn’t see his whole face. That hungry look, and that inverted smile.

The person standing in front of her was not Okita Sougo, Prince of Sadists and Captain of the Shinsengumi’s First Division. It was a stranger who had put on his appearance. And she didn’t like it at all.

She searched for her umbrella with her hand, but couldn’t find it. She hadn’t had it with her since last night, or rather, yesterday afternoon, the last time she remembered anything.

It would be a hand to hand fight on her end. But it wouldn’t be that hindering for landing blows. What would eventually suffer would be her defense. Without a bulletproof umbrella, she’d have to get to cover quickly, especially if the stranger kept on using his firearm instead of drawing his katana.

Projectiles began to shoot around her. Quick, dodge. Or take as little impacts as possible. Jump to the right, shift to the left.

Bullets seemed to follow her as soon as she set foot anywhere. And still no emotion from the strange man who had put on Okita Sougo’s skin. A stranger who also seemed to have an endless supply of bullets.

It was necessary to attempt a breakthrough. Kagura decided that it was the only viable solution; if this person indeed had an almost infinite amount of projectiles. She then rushed in the direction of her assailant. Taking in her favor the obstacles in the yard; bushes, rocks, earth bumps, she rushed forward while taking cover as much as possible. Three bullets nearly hit her before she crashed behind her last rescue point, the trunk of the only tree close enough to her target.

The shots then stopped. No more noise, except her own jerky breathing. The stranger was still looking in her direction. No choice then. She wanted to know more about what was going on, about where she really was.

As time seemed to pass in slow motion during this fight, nothing felt real to her anymore. What if everything that had happened in the past few days was not true? Someone had wanted to make her believe things? But for what purpose? Was Papi also involved? Or was he an impostor? What about Gintoki, Shinpachi? She wasn’t sure of anything anymore. And time itself was slowing down even more. Was this her real world, or a fake one? And since when was all this happening? She couldn’t trust her own memory anymore. Everything was intertwined in a messy soup, nothing being meaningful anymore.

But on the contrary… The hooded figure on the bridge, the only element that had seemed suspicious to her, seemed the only point of truth to which she could cling to.

And SOS. Who wrote that? Who had left this clue in her memory? Was that a cry for help from someone? Or… Was it her subconscious crying for help? She didn’t know. However, if there was something she was sure about, and only one, it was that she needed answers; and the only person who could provide them ad made a condition.

She had to beat this guy. Potentially kill him. But she’d never killed anyone. It panicked her for a moment, but it occurred to her that maybe this was all an illusion.

She rushed forward. The shooting started again. Moving swiftly sideways, she took a bullet to the side, but that didn’t stop her in her tracks. Then, it was the point of contact.

She was suddenly within three meters of him when her enemy swung at her the pistol he had held until now in his hand. Kagura made the mistake of having her gaze focused on the weapon, potential projectile, and froze in place at the last moment. With all her might, she blocked a murderous blade ready to strike vertically on her neck. Her right hand partially lacerated by the blade that was still exerting tremendous pressure, she winced.

That bastard distracted her for a short while by throwing the gun at her, and if she hadn’t acted without thinking, she certainly couldn’t have avoided that direct hit. But now was her chance. Her enemy was using both of his hands on his sword, still trying to lower the blade towards her, and had no way to parry while she held on with her hands.

Her hands were burning, and she felt she must’ve been bleeding, but now was not the time to think about that. Her legs, still arched to this moment, in order to maintain a position capable of pushing back the blade, swiveled. And with a tremendous blow, she smacked her entire leg against her opponent’s side. A blow that would certainly have broken several ribs for a human being, or for any other Amanto who wasn’t born a Yato. But she was also sure of it. What she was fighting wasn’t human at all.

The body got twisted under the pressure, like some kind of sponge or modeling clay, and remained in this incongruous position for a moment. That thing had frozen on the spot, and the pressure on the young Yato’s hands had almost disappeared; although she could still feel the blade between her hands. She looked up, and what she saw repelled her. As a wrapped would have slipped from some fruit as smooth as an apple, Okita Sougo’s “skin” had slipped slightly from its wearer, revealing a black and vaporous yet very palpable thing.

She then heard a hoarse and distorted voice, like that of her rival, but so inhuman that no mistake was possible at this point.

“You won’t get away...”

The “skin” began to melt before revealing a being as black as the night who had instead of hands long claws, and instead of a face two fiery eyes of a deep red; and a smile formed by sharp teeth, from which a foul mist escaped, as black as the body of the creature.

She hadn’t seen anything so horrible in her whole life, despite growing up on an Amanto planet. But her body was already telling her to react, not to stay there. No way she was staying there. No way.

She brought back to her body her damaged hands, the sword having completely vanished, and despite what her body was screaming at her, she wanted to try something. She wasn’t used to being scared, but she still wanted to know if this creature was also invincible, or simply just scary.

She punched the creature in the face. Its head split open, but the creature didn’t seem to care and began to move dangerously close to Kagura, who was herself starting to step back. This thing couldn’t be beaten using physical strength. Not if said creature didn’t care about what was happening to her, and didn’t even seem to take any damage.

The creature’s head merged again to come together, and Kagura eventually made a decision.

She remembered one of the few lessons her father had given her. Sometimes there were enemies you couldn’t beat. Enemies that would be stronger, even if one could think he could defeat everything just by being born as a Yato.

She started running towards the exit that the creature was blocking, and managed to narrowly pass. She wasn’t sure where she was going, and not knowing if she was in her own world or another, preferred not to come back to the Yorozuya agency.

And as she ran away, the creature, instead of running right after her, began to sink into the ground.

And soon, a shadow began to move over the sand and the earth, in pursuit of the young Yato girl.

* * *

_**To Be Continued…** _

* * *

** Author’s note: Watch Classicaloid! It’s really funny, and Beethoven, who has white hair, is voiced by Tomokazu Sugita! **


End file.
